1. SETTING UP A
HAM SHACK

2. THE THREE BASIC THINGS YOU NEED
SET UP A HAM SHACK
THE THREE BASIC THINGS YOU NEED
Transceiver
Power
Antenna

3. APROACH TO SETTING UP A SHACK
SET UP A HAM SHACK
APROACH TO SETTING UP A SHACK
Minimalist
Poorly designed, uncomfortable, poorly working radio
Extreme
Money no object
Palatial shack
Just Right

4. Convenience to operator
SET UP A HAM SHACK
SHACK LOCATION ISSUES
Comfort of operator
Quiet - noise both ways
Temperature, humidity
Access to antenna
Convenience to operator

5. POTENTIAL SHACK LOCATIONS
SET UP A HAM SHACK
POTENTIAL SHACK LOCATIONS
Basement
Too cold in winter
Too damp – bad for equipment
But comfortable in summer
Attic
Too hot in summer
Outhouse Shack
Great for privacy
Must furnish Heat/AC
Security?
Spare Bedroom
Best all around for comfort
Not good if someone ends up sleeping on floor!

6. All important items within reach Plenty of tabletop room
SET UP A HAM SHACK
SHACK LAYOUT ISSUES
All important items within reach
Plenty of tabletop room
Room for laptop
AC / Heat
Comfortable chair
A Window is nice
L shape or U shaped counter
Rig and keyboard in front, monitor above

7. Backup transceiver or 2nd receiver Amplifier
SET UP A HAM SHACK
EQUIPMENT TO CONSIDER
Transceiver
Backup transceiver or 2nd receiver
Amplifier
Computer (desk or laptop?)
VHF station
Rotor control
Antenna switch
External fans
Wattmeter
Antenna Tuner
TV (for those slow hours!)

8. Antenna in location to minimize feed line runs
SET UP A HAM SHACK
ANTENNAS
Who are you talking to?
Don't need much to talk to a bunch of guys stateside
Need significant antenna to work DX or contest with reliability
Antenna in location to minimize feed line runs
Yagi on 10-20m definitely helps!
Antennas: maximum height but minimal visibility
Have multiple antennas per band
Backup in case of failure
Allows monitoring while operating
Safety is paramount

9. How high should be antenna be?
SET UP A HAM SHACK
ANTENNA QUESTIONS
How high should be antenna be?
If it didn’t fall down last year, it ain’t high enough!

10. If I run a wire through the attic will I be able to talk to people?
SET UP A HAM SHACK
ANTENNA QUESTIONS
If I run a wire through the attic will I be able to talk to people?
Sometimes.
And you can also get around town on roller skates in lieu of a car.

11. SET UP A HAM SHACK
ANTENNA QUESTIONS
I live in a development which doesn’t allow antennas. What should I do?
Move.

12. RG-8 / RG-214 feed line for HF runs
SET UP A HAM SHACK
FEED LINE
RG-8 / RG-214 feed line for HF runs
Best compromise of loss and cost
RG-214 or even hard line for VHF runs
Runs over 75 feet require expensive hard line
Ladder line for dipoles
Low loss can tolerate high SWR on antenna
Most shacks have a combination of all of the above!

13. FEED LINE INSTALLATION ISSUES
SET UP A HAM SHACK
FEED LINE INSTALLATION ISSUES
How long is the feed line run?
How to you get from shack to antenna?
Feed line best run through basement or attic
Provides access through wall with weather and bug proofing
Problems?
Not allowed to drill through wall (rental?)
Twin-lead - cannot be run inside
Solution
Use window access panel - not great, but acceptable

14. OTHER IMPORTANT SHACK ITEMS
SET UP A HAM SHACK
OTHER IMPORTANT SHACK ITEMS
Grounds!
Electrical safety ground (3-wire plug)
Common RF ground: braid to cold water pipe
EPO Switch - good idea for safety
Telephone wiring and location - RFI surpression
Computer LAN
Cable/Satellite TV - for those long nights!
Refrigerator - for the cold ones
Fire extinguisher – when conditions get hot!

15. SET UP A HAM SHACK
The End!